Governor resetting device



Dec. 2, 1941. D

GQVERNOR RESETTING DEVICE "Filed Au /s1, 1940 'INVENTOR I 471.21 611729 M/ ATTORNEY.-

Patented Dec. 2, 1941 UNETED'STATES" PATENT OFFICE I GOVERNOR RESETTING DEVICE Alan G. Day, West Hartford, Conn., .assignoito United Aircraft Corporation, East Hartford, t

001111., a corporation of Delaware I Application August 31, 1940, Serial'No. 355,058

s Claims. I (01. 264-3) returning the governor to a predetermined speed setting in the event of failure of the manually controllable speed setting means.

Other objects and advantages will be more particularly pointed out hereinafter or will become apparent as the description proceeds.

In the accompanying drawing, in which like reference numerals are used to designate similar parts throughout, there illustrated a'suitable mechanical embodiment for the purpose of disclosing the invention. The drawing, however, is for the purpose of illustration only and is not to be taken as limiting or restricting the scope of the invention since it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes in the illustrated embodiment may be resorted .to without. in 'any way exceeding the scope of the invention.

In the drawing, the single figure is a vertical sectional view through a governor showing an automatic resetting device, constructed accord ing to the invention, applied thereto.

Referring to the drawing in detail, the numeral It! generally indicates a governor'pad which may be mounted upon an engine or other suitable support and provided with fluid passages in a manner well known to the art. This pad may include a governor actuated valve comprising the slidable plunger 12 and the rotatable drive shaft M which shaft may be driven from the engine through a suitable driving connection H5. At its end opposite the connection It the shaft projects into a governor housing i8 and carries a rotatable platform 20 upon which are mounted a plurality of governor flyballs, as indicated at 22 and 24. If desired, the platform 20 may also carry a rotatable cup 26 surrounding the flyballs to avoid damping of the rotationalmovements of the flyballs by any fluid such as lubricating oil, which might be contained in the housing. The plunger l2 also extends within the governor housing and is provided at its upper end with a thrust bearing 28 against which the bell crank arms of .the flyballs 22 react to movethe plunger relative to the sleeved 4 as the flyballs move in and out under the centrifugal forces incident to speed variations of the governor drive. The force exerted by the flyballs 22 and 24 tending to lift the plunger [2 is resisted by a speeder spring 30 the lower end of which bears on an abutment 32 mounted on the upper end of the plunger l2 andthe upper end of which bears against an adjustable abutment 34 mounted in a cylindrical extension 36 of the governor cap 31 secured in operative positio on the top of the housing 18.

The abutment 34 may conveniently comprise a cup shaped member 38 having a split externally threadedskirt'portion received in an internally threaded sleeve member 40 reciprocable in the cylindrical extension 36 and a locking plug 42 for locking the members 38 and 40 together in adjusted position. The sleeve member 40 is provided along one side thereof with rack teeth 44 of which projects outside of the cap to a connection with a pulley 52 manually rotatable by suitable means including the cable 54. When the gear 46 is rotated by the pulley 52 and cable 54 the sleeve 40 will be moved up or down in the cylindrical extension 36 moving the abutment 34 to change the loading on the speeder spring 30 thereby changing the speed setting of the govemor'in a manner wellknown to the art. The manual adjusting means may be locked in operative position by suitable means as exemplified by the lever 56 attached to the pulley 58, the lever carried detent B0 and the relatively fixed serrated quadrant 62.

With this arrangement, it is apparent that in the event of failure of any essential part of the manual adjusting apparatus or the locking means therefor the load on the governor speeder spring portion of the range of the power output capacity of the engine. In order to avoid such a contingency, the present improved governor is provided with an extension 64 beyond the cylindrical extension 36 receiving the sleeve 40 and separated from this cylindrical extension by an inwardly i the abutment by the spring 30. it does relieve to a limited extent the force necessary to rotate the pulley 52. Its main function, however, is to provide an automatic resetting of the governor to a predetermined speed setting in the event control of the governor by the manual speed setting apparatus is lost.

While a suitable mechanical arrangement for disclosing the invention has been hereinabove described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the particular arrangement so illustrated and described, but that such changes in the size, shape and arrangement of the'various parts may be resorted to as come within the scope of the sub-joined claims.

Having now described, the invention so that others skilled in the art'may clearly understand the same, what it is desired to secure by Letters Patent is as follows:

1. In a speed governor having a speeder spring and manually operable mechanism for changing the loading on said speeder spring, resilient means, exerting an increasing force on a portion of said manually operable mechanism as said mechanism is moved to decrease the loading on said speeder spring and exerting a decreasing force on said portion as said mechanism is moved to increase the loading on said speeder spring, for restoring the loading on said spring to a pre.- determined intermediate amount upon failure of other portions of said manually operable means.

g. In a speed governor having a speeder spring, a movable abutment for one end 01 said speeder spring, and manually operable means for changing the loading on said speeder spring by moving said abutment, a second spring for exertin a force on said abutment equal and opposite to the force exerted by said speeder spring and arranged to exert an increased force when the abutment is moved to decrease the force of said speeder spring and vice versa so that upon failure of said manually operable means said abutment will be moved to a predetermined position and said speeder spring loading will revert to a prea movable abutment for said speeder spring, a

cylinder for said abutment, and manually operable means for moving said abutment, an extension on the end of said cylinder opposite said speeder spring, and a compression spring in said extension exerting a force on said abutment opposite to the force exerted thereon by said speeder spring. I

5. Resetting means for a speed governor having a speeder spring and a manually movable abutment for said speeder spring comprising, a spring exerting a force directly-on said abutment in a direction to load said speeder spring.

6. Resetting means for a speed governor having a compression speeder spring and a manually movable abutment for said speeder spring comprising, a compression spring exerting a force on said abutment in one position of said abutment equal and opposite to that exerted by said speeder spring which force varies inversely as thefiorce exerted by said speeder spring upon movement of the abutment in either direction from said one position.

ALAN G. DAY. 

